The present subject matter relates generally to a pet drying towel and a method of using the pet drying towel. More specifically, the present invention relates to an absorbent towel having a central circular opening, which allows a pet's head to be inserted through such opening so that (i) the towel may sit on the shoulders and body of the pet and (ii) the towel may be used to dry the pet. One side of the towel may be designated for drying the pet's body and the other side of the towel may be designated for drying the pet's head and neck. Once a pet's head is inserted through the central circular opening and the towel sits on the shoulders and body of the pet, the towel may be used to dry the pet using a dry portion of the towel, and then, as needed, the user may rotate the towel around the pet's neck to dry the pet's body using different portions of the first side of the towel and fold the towel to dry the pet's head and neck with the second side of the towel.
Drying a pet can be a frustrating experience. It is difficult to hold the towel on the pet and dry the pet off at the same time. A person drying the pet must simultaneously juggle at least one towel while trying to dry the pet. This can be challenging since many pets have trouble staying still and do not like to be dried off. Dogs may be especially tricky to dry, as their natural response to being wet is to shake. Consequently, the towel may not stay on the pet while drying the pet. Another problem that pet owners face is that they have a hard time finding dry parts of the towel after they start the drying process.
Previous attempts to solve this problem included using towels intended to be secured to a pet while the person was drying the pet. These attempts made drying a pet slightly easier since the person didn't have to worry about keeping the towel in contact with the pet. However, the way in which these towels were attached to the pet was limiting and difficult to use. Also, once the towel was saturated and no longer capable of drying the pet, it needed to be removed, and a new towel needed to be reapplied.
One invention attempted to solve this problem by creating a rectangular towel with an opening for a pet's head that could be secured by hook and loop fasteners. However, it was difficult to secure the rectangular towel around the pet's neck when the pet was moving around. If the hook and loop fasteners came undone, they needed to be refastened so the towel would stay on the pet, which was also tedious. The opening for the pet's head was located near one end of the rectangular towel; thus, limiting the parts of the towel that could be used to dry the pet. When the towel was fastened and parts of the towel were saturated, the towel was immobile and could not be rotated such that the user could apply a dryer part of the towel to the pet. This meant that when the towel was saturated, it needed to be removed, and a new towel needed to be reapplied.
Accordingly, a need exists for a pet drying towel and method of using the pet drying towel including an absorbent ring-shaped towel having a central circular opening where multiple drying surfaces may be used to dry a pet as described and claimed herein.